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Every once in a while someone does a project that raises the bar for the rest of us. This is one of those projects. Webca from Thingiverse 3D printed the CUBE 3D printer piece by piece over 8+ months, using over 15 lbs of ABS plastic in the process. Oh, did I mention he printed it on a 3D printed Makerbot he made before? It’s not the fastest or cheapest way to make a 3D printer ($3000), but that doesn’t mean it’s not awesome.
Each section was printed individually before being attached together with little screws. One advantage of this construction is that the height can be easily increased if you want to print taller objects by printing more pieces and adding them to the construction. For more information watch the video of the printer in action and see the detailed stats on the Thingiverse page.

4 Responses to “A 3D printer that was 3D printed on a 3D printed 3D printer”

I believe this was Adrian Bowyer’s vision for the original RepRap project – self replicating systems. It is amazing that is coming to fruition! Would be interested to hear his thoughts on this, and if it has met or exceeded his projected timeline!?

While this does follow in the tradition of the RepRap project, it’s not connected to that project. The electronics are based on the MakerBot Platform. Webca said he made the 3D printed MakerBot (which printed this one) in order to work towards matching the self-replicating nature of the RepRap.